Getting to Pokhara from Kathmandu by bus is no joke. It entails a 9 hours ride on probably one of the bumpiest roads on the planet, although the view over the mountains and the steep gorge below makes the journey entertaining at least. What makes it really worth it though is the destination, Pokhara, and the surrounding area.
Pokhara is a fairly big city, but if you end up staying in the touristy area of Lakeside, as you probably will since most of the accommodation offers are to be found there, it will feel more like a small touristy town. On the main street running along the lakeside you will find all sorts of shops and restaurants. Exploring them might lead to the discovery of tribal gems hidden in antique jewellery shops and genuine and inspiring conversations with their vendors. The biggest pride of the city is being a gateway into the region sitting at the foot of the Himalayan mountain range.
A few hundred meters overseeing the city there is the village of Sarangkot, where every morning people from the area and tourists coming from Pokhara gather to jointly greet the sun rising from behind the mountains and painting the Himalayan range pink. Sarangkot is mainly composed of hotels, some extraordinarily beautiful, but if you have time to take a walk a little bit further towards the villages behind it you will find the daily life of local people unfolding faraway from any tourist encounter.
From Pokhara local buses venture north into valleys and high mountains. With a three hour bus ride that will make you fear for your life every meter of the way you will reach Ghandruk, one of the highest villages reachable by any means of transport in the Himalayan region. Ghandruk sits at 2012 meters above sea level and is immersed in an endless mountain scenery. There is an older and a newer part of town, the first being obviously more characteristic of the traditional Nepalese architecture, the newer offering a wide range of options for accommodation. The big show in Ghandruk unfolds early in the morning, where everyone wakes up and comes out of their rooms to admire the view of the Himalayas at sunrise. Being reachable with a jeep or a bus, visitors of Ghandruk include many tourists who just come up to take pictures of the view or make a few TikToks before taking the jeep again and drive back down to the city. The only way to get away from the Tik Tok crowd is to hike away from it and explore the more remote areas of this region.
The 7 km and 800 meters elevation hike from Ghandruk to Tadapani features incredible views and a full immersion in an extraordinary green forest that feels and probably is enchanted. During the hike, between endless stone stairways, look out for peaceful buffalos roaming the forest for a little snack and the noisy cheeky monkeys that steal produce from the mountain dwellers’ vegetable garden. Reaching Tadapani will take 3 to 4 hours and from there you can either keep walking or stop and explore the village before sleeping in one of the few guesthouses of the village. We chose the second option because of limited time but definitely did not regret the decision. Tadapani is small and the village relies heavily on tourism to survive (only few inhabitants reside in Tadapani all year around), but I guess the type of tourism that the village gets, which consist only on hikers, and the remoteness of the place allows the village to still retain a very authentic touch. The highlight of the place is no different than the one of Pokhara, Sarangkot or Ghandruk, only here it is even better. The first sun rays filtering through the branches of the tall jungly trees surrounding the village and reaching the peaks of some of the highest mountain in the world is truly the best good morning one can imagine. After greeting Annapurna 1, Hiunchuli and the unmistakable Machapuchare the possibilities of hike routes from Tadapani are infinite.
Where to stay:
Pokhara: the accommodation choice here is really wide, but I personally didn’t find anything that really stood out like Peaceeye Guesthouse did. Their rooms are very well furnished and well maintained, the position is perfect and the price is more than reasonable.
Sarangkot: if you want to enjoy the mountain view at sunrise you might as well do it right. Superview Lodge is a real treat before or after a mountain hike, and a truly special treat at that.